Steele: Last Two Years Has Strengthened GOP

By Ji Hyun Yoo

“Last night was historic,” said Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele during a conference call on Wednesday. Steele discussed the turnaround his party has achieved over the last four years, from suffering losses in 2006 and 2008, to winning 60 seats in the House yesterday.

“In two short years, our party, I think, has reemerged stronger,” he said. “Our party is prepared to do the very most important thing, and that is listen, react and respond to what they hear from the American people.”

Despite having ‘tasted victory in mouth,’ Steele said he believes that great responsibilities lie ahead for Republican lawmakers.

“We are now also humbled by the reality that with this victory comes enormous responsibility for us to govern wisely, smartly and with the intent of the people.”

RNC Launches Ad Campaign To Combat Senate Healthcare Bill

By Meagan Wiseley - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

On Monday Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) Michael Steele announced the launch of the “Listen to Me” Effort. Which will include the launch of a six-figure national radio ad which explains the GOP position on healthcare reform, with emphasis on the Senate healthcare bill.

“We can’t force the democrats to listen to the American people, but we can certainly help the American people lift their voice up to be heard by those in Washington,” Steele said. “[We] are asking the Democrats in Washington to do something different for once, and that is listen to the American people.”

The new initiative consists of telephone town hall meetings, an interactive internet campaign and a grass roots activist campaign.

RNC staff members will also be sent to the six states (North Dakota, Nebraska, Virginia, Arkansas, Louisiana and Connecticut) who’s Senators still seem to be undecided on how they will vote on the healthcare bill.

“In these states we will do everything we can to help people get their elected representatives to listen, to pay attention [and] to hear their voice,” Steele said.

Steele Condemns Democrats' Approach To Health Care Reform

By Learned Foote- Talk Radio News Service

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele condemned proposals for health care reform advanced by the Democratic Party and criticized the legislative process that he says has excluded the GOP in an address at the National Press Club on Monday.

Steele called President Obama a “good man who cares deeply about this country, but he is determined...to transform it into something none of us would recognize.”

Steele argued that the primary affliction of the health care system in the U.S. is rising costs, noting that the U.S. spends over 15% of its GDP on health care, whereas comparable countries spend about 10% of their GDP with similar outcomes. He said that “our uninsured are a symptom of that cost problem.”

Steele claimed that both Republicans and Democrats would like to see the costs associated with private health care significantly reduced, but argued that "the “Democrats’ plan to save money will cost us more money,” and that their “plan to reduce health care costs will cost us trillions more in tax dollars.” He cited a report released by the Congressional Budget Office last Friday as evidence, and also said that this report did not account for the administrative costs associated with the legislation, which he said would be even more expensive.

Steele suggested some solutions to curb these rising costs. These suggestions included posting the prices and outcomes of various procedures online, simplifying health insurance contracts to promote competition, protecting doctors from frivolous lawsuits, enacting penalties against those who unethically profit from the health care system, encouraging small businesses to form health care plans and coops, cutting Washington bureaucrats out of the equation, allowing people to retain health insurance as they move from job to job, and enabling Americans to purchase health insurance from various states, regardless of their home state.

Steele also said that “much about our health care system is in very good shape,” and said that the Democratic proposals could “lead to a 119 million Americans being dumped out of their private coverage into a cheaper, government-run health care program.”

He said that Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leaders of the Senate and House respectively, “aren’t really doctors, they’re just trying to play one on Capitol Hill by experimenting with health care and insisting on a big government takeover.”

Steele criticized the legislative process, which he says is occurring too quickly for Congress to read the legislation at hand, saying that the Democrats are “determined to shove this bill through without permitting any meaningful scrutiny,” and are leaving Republican leadership out of the discussion. “The Democrats have no intention to have a bipartisan bill,” he added.

Code Pink gets "serious" on Bush

Code Pink , an anti-war protest group, gathered outside the, Republican National Committee, to protest the war in Iraq. They said that since U.S. intervention in Iraq more than 4,000 troops have died in combat and the number continues to grow. Code Pink also said that the government spends $11 million an hour, everyday, to fund the Iraq war. Code Pink also called Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) President Bush's best friend, because Pelosi approved $165 billion to fund the war in Iraq.

Congress investigates Federal Justice System for selective prosecution

The Committee on the Judiciary's Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law and the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security held a second hearing to address "Allegations of Selective Prosecution" and "The Erosion of Public Confidence in Our Federal Justice System."

Chairwoman Linda Sanchez (D-CA) said the Judiciary Committee has previously investigated "whether the Department of Justice has allowed politics to seep into its decision-making" and now turns its attention to allegations of "Democrats being disproportionately targeted for Federal prosecutions under the current Administration." Sanchez also raised concerns that the DOJ has "investigated allegations of voter fraud" but has ignored vote suppression, citing many recent incidents of Republican efforts to deter non-Republican voters and thwart opposition "get out the vote" campaigns in the 2002 and 2004 elections. Sanchez said that the DOJ's failure to send a witness to testify despite an invitation was "unfortunate."

Witness Rep. Paul Hodes (D-NH) testified about the 2002 Election Day phone-jamming operation conducted by Republican political operatives, noting that witness Allen Raymond had pled guilty for his involvement in the case and that former Republican National Committee Director James Tobin was convicted as well and later acquitted on appeal. He said that it is "unclear" whether the White House was involved in the scandal despite suspicious phone calls made to the White House that day, although witness Paul Twomey said there was "numerous evidence" of its involvement. Finally, Hodes said that there were "major delays" in prosecuting the case and that the DOJ had "at the very least" a "conflict of interest" in its investigation, and Twomey said that the DOJ has "decidedly Republican" interests.

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) said that previous hearings had shown "there was no illegal or unethical conduct" and cited former Rep. Bob Ney's (R-OH) 2004 congressional case as evidence that the DOJ was "using politics to help one party over another." Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) countered by saying that the hearing was discussing people who had violated laws and been found guilty and said that "the RNC is in big trouble."

Witness Mark Crispin Miller, political analyst and NYU professor, said the DOJ should work to prosecute unlawful Democratic practices as well, and deplored electronic ballot counting machines as a "secret vote count." He said that voter fraud is a "minor problem" that would be much better solved by video cameras in voting areas as opposed to "laws that disenfranchise tens of thousands of people."